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| From Todd Solondz's new film Dark Horse |
Dark Horse – limited release, June 8
In my experience, people either love or hate the films of
Todd Solondz. They’re odd, honest, and perverse in all the best ways. I’m a
fan, but I can very easily see how people are turned off (or even repulsed) by Welcome to the Dollhouse, Happiness, Storyelling and Palindromes.
Interestingly, Solondz’s last film, Life
During Wartime, a quasi-sequel to Happiness,
was his weakest yet. I’m not sure where I stand on Dark Horse, but I’ll be there nonetheless.
Killer Joe – out July 27
The festival buzz for William Friedkin’s first film in six
years has been unanimously uproarious, with many critics saying star Matthew
McConaughey, who plays a cop moonlighting as a hit man, is destined for an Oscar
nomination. Bold words, but intriguing. The catch: Killer Joe is currently rated NC-17. It’ll be interesting to see if
Friedkin reedits for an R, or goes the Steve McQueen route and lets it play as
is.
Argo – out Oct. 12
Ben Affleck’s next directional effort is the true story of a
CIA agent who posed as a Hollywood filmmaker to free hostages during the
Iranian revolution. Thankfully, the trailer doesn’t divulge much, except the
impressive cast including Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Victor Garber,
Alan Arkin and Kyle Chandler (Coach Taylor!). Argo doesn’t exactly look like my kind of movie, but going off the
strength of Gone Baby Gone and The Town, I’m there.
Passion – out early 2013
We have a ways to go before Brian De Palma’s erotic thriller
hits screens, but judging from this still, the wait will be worth it. Passion is said to be a loose remake of
Alain Corneau’s kind of brilliant Love
Crime, which is about a young woman seeking revenge on her cruel boss. The
most interesting aspect about De Palma’s film is his casting. In Love Crime, Ludivine Sagnier plays the
employee, with Kristen Scott Thomas as the boss. There are 19 years separating
the two actresses, a gap that plays an important role in the film’s plot. In Passion, Noomi Rapace takes over the
Sagnier role, while Rachel McAdams, who is one year older than Rapace, playing
the boss. Either way, I’m seriously hoping Passion
is a return to form for De Palma.
I just saw the trailers for Argo and Killer Joe, both look good. That pic of Rachel McAdams & Noomi Rapace... oh!!!! I'm turned on.
ReplyDeleteI'm watching the trailer for Dark Horse and... wow. This might be a bit different but I'm intrigued. Usually, Solondz is quite dark but I like this.
I agree, Dark Horse looks oddly... uplifting, which is not Solondz's style. I'm definitely curious about that one. And yeah, that pic of McAdams and Rapace... whoa.
DeleteThe Solondz film interests me particularly. While I agree Life During Wartime is his weakest film, I still liked a lot about it. And I think Storytelling is my favourite Solondz movie, even better than Happiness. I was lucky enough to see an uncensored copy (without the red square in the rape scene) and I was thoroughly stunned with how graphic it is and how long it lasted. Solondz was born to push the boundaries, and man I love that.
ReplyDeleteStorytelling is my favorite movie of his too, so very raw. Life During Wartime IS his weakest, but I think I gave it a B when I reviewed it, so that is very faint criticism from me. I liked a lot about that flick as well.
DeletePassion looks awesome! Can't wait to see Rapace and McAdams together. De Palma used to make good movies, let's hope he will once again.
ReplyDeleteAh did he ever. I really hope Passion delivers as well... last thing we need is another Black Dahlia.
DeleteOh my God, Black Dahlia was one of the worst things ever. Swank's accent alone killed it.
DeleteJust...awful.
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